WEBVTT

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The country mouse and the town mouse.

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Field mouse lived in the country and house mouse lived in the town.

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One day as field mouse finished his spring cleaning and looked about him,

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he decided he would like to invite a guest to his tidy tiny home.

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It's such a shame I never met my cousin house mouse, he squeaked.

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And so he sat down to write an invitation to house mouse who lived so far away.

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Down the grass path, past the dirt road, at the end of the brick boulevard which wound through the town.

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Oh dear. Now what shall I write with?

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You wondered.

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Oh well. This will do.

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Dear house mouse, it seems a shame we've never met.

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That is to say we haven't yet.

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Come to my nest, I will give you my best. On that you can certainly bet.

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Oh no no.

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Dear house mouse, your cousin who lives in the field invites you to share in a meal.

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If you will say yes, I will make you my guest in the country where life is ideal.

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Field mouse scurried outdoors where he found his friend hummingbird sipping a drink of nectar from the honeysuckle vine.

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Oh oh oh.

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Hummingbird, please, he begged hummingbird, deliver my letter.

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Late that night, hummingbird returned with a note of acceptance.

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Oh boy.

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My dear little cousin unknown, whose note was so recently flown.

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Tomorrow's the day I'll venture your way. Our meeting we shouldn't postpone.

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Field mouse was so excited he could hardly sleep.

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At sunrise he set out to find two glistening buttercups filled with morning dew.

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He hid the pretty cups from the cool shadows behind his nest so that he would have a refreshing drink to offer his guest.

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He's coming.

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That afternoon, field mouse set out a simple supper of the last of his winter stores.

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Twenty-two barley corns, thirteen blades of grass, five dried peas, a dash of sassafras.

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When he had finished, he strolled out to the grass path which led from the dirt road, which led from the brick boulevard which wound through the town.

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Hidey-ho, hidey-ho.

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Here came cousin house mouse strutting down the path.

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And he was dressed up from his fancy shoes to the feather tip of his plumed hat.

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Suddenly field mouse felt a little dull and dusty.

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Doesn't he look fine?

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He ran back home to wash his face.

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Welcome, said field mouse.

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Give you a hand, cousin?

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The two sat down at field mouse's little bark table and ate from their acorn cap plates.

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When they had finished, house mouse said,

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Now, my dear cousin field mouse, what's for dinner?

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Oh, said field mouse, that was dinner, but I could go outside and hunt for more.

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More of the same?

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My dear cousin, how do you live like this?

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Come with me to the town and I will show you the feasting and frisking that city life is all about.

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I don't live in a mere house, you know.

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My home is a mansion.

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Field mouse had no idea what a mansion was, though he didn't want to say so.

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He decided to accompany his cousin to town so he could find out for himself.

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The two cousins followed the grass path until it widened into the dirt road,

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until that widened into the brick boulevard which wound through the town.

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Oh, gosh!

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Oh, so this is a mansion, gasped field mouse.

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There were so many floors in it and so many doors in it.

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And food galore in it.

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Oh, boy!

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Never in all his little life had field mouse seen anything like the sumptuous feast

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that he and house mouse found spread upon the table.

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Biscuits and gravy, cornbread and cheese, mustard and custard,

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as much as you please, ice cream and fudge sauce,

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grape jam and jelly, berries and cherries to stuff a plump belly,

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shortcake and strawberries, puddings and pie,

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frosting on layer cake high as the sky.

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Oh!

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Oh, boy, oh boy, oh boy!

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This is the life for me!

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Huh? What was that?

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Oh, it's only the master's dogs.

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Only?

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I do not like such music with my dinner.

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Bam! The banquet room door burst open and in rushed five dogs chasing four cats,

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followed by the master and his three dinner guests laughing and shouting uproariously.

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House mouse grabbed field mouse and skittered for the pantry

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with the cats' hot breath at their backs.

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Oh, boy, oh my gosh!

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Oh, my gosh!

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That was a fine race.

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Beamed house mouse.

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And the excitement's only beginning.

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Goodbye, cousin.

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Panted field mouse.

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I'm off.

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What? Going so soon? asked his cousin.

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I can do without that sort of excitement.

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I would rather eat a simple dinner in peace than to feast in fear.

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Then house mouse shook his cousin's trembling paw and said,

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Very well. Go your way then, my good friend.

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Hurry along the brick boulevard, past the dirt road and down the grass path

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which leads to your simple home in the field.

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Perhaps some day we too shall meet again.

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But I can see that we would not trade places.

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No, they would not trade places for anything in the world.

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Dear field mouse, this film was produced, directed and adapted for the screen

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for Coronet by J.P. Somersalter and Lillian Somersalter-Moats.

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Love, house mouse.

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Dear house mouse, really?

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And did you know that the art and animation were done by Lillian Somersalter-Moats

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and J.P. Somersalter, Susan Taylor, William Putz, Brandon Ward, Pam Miser and David Moats?

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Love, field mouse.

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Hi, cousin. The camera work was by Susan Taylor.

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Music by Doug Lofstrom.

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Sound recording and mix by Michael Moats at Zenith DB Studio.

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And editing by J.P. Somersalter and Ginny Keller.

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Love, house mouse.

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Hi, cuz. And don't forget the people at Coronet Films whose creative consultants are Joel Marks,

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Ellen Bowen, Mel Woskin, Jay Robinson and Bob Grunowski.

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Love, field mouse.

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Dear pal, I'm so happy about the beginning of our friendship.

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But alas, we've come to the end of our film.

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Love, house mouse.